The Ladder
by blackwolfmajik
Summary: While travelling to Tatooine, Ashara stumbles across something she thinks her Master might enjoy - only to find that Inlé has already beaten her to it.


While travelling to Tatooine, Ashara stumbles across something she thinks her Master might enjoy - only to find that Inlé has already beaten her to it.

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**AN:** This little fic was from a "Know Your OC" prompt where one of the questions was about your character's hobbies. Aside from reading ancient books, Inlé likes the thrill of racing.

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"It says that the current record for completing the race is twelve minutes and twenty-"

"It's two minutes."

The young togruta blinked, looking up from the datapad in confusion. "It says twelve here."

"It's two," Inlé grimaced before adding: "and a few seconds."

"What do you mean, Master? The brochure is wrong?"

Andronikos' deep husky laugh curled back from the pilot's chair. "It's still listed at twelve minutes because they disqualified the Sith's finish time."

Ashara's eyes widened. "You participated in this thing? The 'Tatooine Ladder Challenge'?"

"I _won_ it."

"Not according to the race commission," the pirate quipped as he corrected their flight coordinates.

"Everything I did was within the bounds of the rules-"

"Loopholes which they promptly fixed after you beat the pants off of them."

"What did you do?" interrupted the former Jedi Padawan, impatient to learn what was clearly a juicy story.

With the Sith's shrugged permission, Andronikos became more animated and warmed to the tale.

"The 'Ladder' is a series of switchback trails leading up the side of a huge stone pillar. It's brutal. It's meant to test the racer's agility and stamina as well as their courage.

There are no rails, it's just rock on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Spectators sit in box seats cut into the surrounding canyon, taking bets on who will win and who will fly off the edge and die.

"Sith was here doing some business and heard about the 'Ladder'. You know how she is when there's a race on," he winked playfully at his wife.

Inlé rolled her eyes, making Ashara giggle.

"So we get there to the start point," Andronikos continues, "and we see something like two dozen chuffs. They're all struttin' around, thinking they're the hottest shit since Kessel. They've all got everything from top of the line Aratechs to beaters glued together with dreams and rust. Sith walks up, pretty as you please, and puts her name in the lists like it's no big deal."

"What did you ride?" the togruta's nose scrunched in thought. "The Striker? The Dasta?"

"Neither," Inlé answered.

"The Nethian?"

"Nope."

"What did you use then?"

Andronikos cleared his throat, annoyed that his story was being derailed. "The Nexu."

"The _cat?_ You picked an animal and not a machine for an endurance race?"

"Yeah. The chuffs all laughed at her for it too."

"I'd imagine," Ashara agreed. "They probably thought you were crazy, Master."

"I suppose. But, then again, they weren't thinking."

Confusion still wrinkled the younger woman's face as she looked back and forth between the pair of humans. "How did you win?"

"I went up."

"Up?"

"When the bell struck, everyone zipped off, trying to get to the first turn. I didn't."

"She had the Nexxu use its claws to climb straight up the cliff instead of following the race course," Andronikos clarified.

Ashara's mouth dropped open in shock. "That worked?"

"There wasn't any rules against it. The goal was just to be the first to survive getting to the top by using a ground mount."

"By cutting across the track, she beat the previous record by ten minutes. Of course the Hutts were furious and the race commission refused to let it stand-"

"They said it was 'against the spirit of the race' and promptly amended the rules to prevent such an innovation-"

_"Trick."_

"-in the future." Inlé glared at her husband's amused grin. "Be glad I love you, Andri."

"I am, Sith," the pirate replied, smiling wider. "Every damn day."

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_I enjoy writing for Inlé, I hop you guys like hearing about her. I have a long fic that I'm working on for her, but it will be quite a while before I feel its ready to post. (hopefully you guys come back for it!)_

_Please READ and REVIEW! let me know what you think!_


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